1. Field of the Invention
In passenger-carrying vehicles (aircraft, ships and land vehicles), particularly in aircraft, it is usual to provide seats of different widths for passengers travelling on different classes of fare. For example, a seat for a passenger travelling on the "First Class" fare is usually wider than one provided for passengers travelling on the "Tourist Class" fare.
Vehicles are commonly used to carry passengers travelling on different class fares on different journeys. The number of passengers in each class is likely to vary from one journey to another. It is therefore common to provide adjustable-width seating, with armrests which are laterally movable so that they can define seats of different widths on different journeys. There are, for example, seating units known as "Convertibles", of width sufficient for three narrower seats abreast for one class of passenger, with fixed armrests at the sides and two intermediate armrests, each of which can be placed selectively in two laterally-spaced positions. In the first positions they are equally spaced from each other and from the fixed armrests to define and separate the three narrower seats, and in the second positions they are closer together so as to define with the fixed armrests two wider seats abreast with a space between them. "Convertible" seating units are described for example in British Patent Specification No. 1,037,972 and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,533,175.
"Convertibles" are of course restricted to use in vehicles in which seating units providing three narrower seats abreast are required, but there is a demand of adjustable-width seating providing different numbers of seats abreast. The number of seats may not be required to be changed when the armrests are moved between their different positions. For example, a vehicle may be of such width that seating units providing two seats abreast are required, with facilities for adjusting the width of the seats, either to accommodate different classes of passenger as mentioned or in order to improve comfort for passengers of different sizes.
This invention concerns armrest arrangements for "Convertibles" and other adjustable-width seating.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known, for example from U.S. Pat. No. 3,586,374, European Patent Application No. 0 005 556 and British Patent Specification No. 1 323 861, to make chairs with armrests mounted on rotatable pillars or arms so that they may be adjusted laterally to vary the effective width of the chairs. U.S. Pat. No. 3,926,473 discloses an adjustable type of armrest unit in which a pair of movable armrest sections have upper cap sections which move arcuately in and out from armrest support framing that is positioned between adjacent seats in a multiple seat arrangement.